1st largest plant in Iowa · 134th nationally
Walter Scott Jr Energy Center is a coal power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 1,648 MW. It generates roughly 5.7M MWh per year — enough to power about 542,885 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 39% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2137 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (1,648 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Walter Scott Jr Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Midamerican Energy Co |
| City | Council Bluffs |
| County | Pottawattamie County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 51501 |
| Coordinates | 41.18000, -95.84080 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 923 MW | Operating | 2007 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 726 MW | Operating | 1978 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 81.6 MW | Retired | 1958 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 49.0 MW | Retired | 1954 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Midamerican Energy Co | Urbandale, IA | 6938.0% |
| Lincoln Electric System | Lincoln, NE | 1266.0% |
| Central Iowa Power Cooperative | Cedar Rapids, IA | 1052.5% |
| Municipal Energy Agency Of Ne | Lincoln, NE | 692.0% |
| Corn Belt Power Coop | Humboldt, IA | 470.0% |
| Cedar Falls Utilities | Cedar Falls, IA | 262.0% |
| Atlantic Municipal Utilities | Atlantic, IA | 250.0% |
| City Of Spencer - (Ia) | Spencer, IA | 114.0% |
| City Of New Hampton - (Ia) | New Hampton, IA | 56.0% |
| Eldridge City Utilities | Eldridge, IA | 53.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 6.1M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 5.9k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 3.8k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2137 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.